Measurement and reporting of intangible assets: orientation of Indian practitioners

Abstract

Research studies capturing the opinion of practitioners on issues related to the domain of intangibles are very rare. This study attempts to highlight the importance of practitioners as the significant stakeholders in the process of measuring and reporting intangible assets. The data were collected from 164 top level practitioners from India. These practitioners included Chief Financial Officers, Cost and Works Accountants, Chartered Accountants, Companies Secretaries, and Chartered Financial Analysts. A structured questionnaire was prepared for the purpose of data collection. Relationship between orientation towards intangible assets and selected variables has been modelled using binary logistic regression. Results indicate that intangible assets covered under intellectual property legal framework are considered more important than other intangible assets. Methods, such as return on assets and market capitalization, are the most popular techniques for measurement of intangible assets. An attempt has been made to examine the determinants of orientation towards intangible assets. Practitioners, being an important link in the measurement and reporting process, deserve greater attention from both the regulators and researchers. The study is an original piece of work. The study provides an insight into the practitioners’ perspective on reporting and orientation towards intangible assets.